Final Reflections: The Impact of SPS

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Wednesday, August 6, 2014

By:

Kearns Louis-Jean

It's hard to imagine that my SPS summer internship is over. It seems like it was just yesterday I was at ACP working on polarizers for the SOCK and then going out to dinner with the interns. It's funny how fast time flies, not as fast as light, but still funny none the less.

I have had a lot of time to reflect on my experience this summer. This internship has definitely showed me how important SPS is. I am a testament to the impact SPS can have on someone's life. I have grown and learned so much through my various experiences this summer.

Being able to attend events like NUFO and meet congressional representatives and scientists from national labs all across the country is a once in a lifetime experience. I even got to meet Bill Nye the Science Guy this summer, one of the most popular figures in the science community, or any community for that matter. Even other experiences, like attending the children's science fair at the Rayburn House office building and being a part of the NIST summer institute for middle school science teachers, that many people may not think are as cool as meeting scientists at NUFO or Bill Nye I thought were just as important. These experiences, the people I met, and all that I have learned from all of it I will cherish for the rest of my life.

This is why I know picking the SPS SOCK internship was the best decision for me. If I could I would do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing. The SOCK gave me a wide variety of opportunities this summer. I had the privilege of working with Toni Sauncy, Kendra Redmond, and the SPS staff. I also was lucky enough to get to pick the brains of former SPS interns Courtney Lemon and Joe York. The advice they gave me throughout the course of the internship and continue to give me today is priceless and will not just help me in physics, but in life. Everybody in ACP from the top executives to the security people at the front desk were just so helpful and willing to offer any knowledge they had that they felt I might find useful.

I am proud of the work Mark and I put into the SOCK. I would not trade all the outreach events, meetings, and time working on the SOCK for anything. The outreach we did this summer and all the outreach that will be done throughout the school year with the SOCKS is invaluable. Outreach is very important to the community and that is why it is a big goal for SPS. Mark and I both value outreach a lot and I think that's why together we made a great pair of SOCKs.

Overall I am very grateful for my opportunity to participate in this SPS summer internship. I'm blessed to have met such wonderful people this summer, especially my fellow interns. I know I have made friendships and memories this summer that will last a lifetime.